It is often necessary to test liquids in pipes installed in industrial applications. Such testing often uses analytical sensors contained in probes. Generally a test sample must either be removed from the pipe or the probe must be inserted directly into the system pipe. In the former, it may be impractical to remove representative sample from the pipe. In the latter instance, inserting a probe directly into a pipe of a pressurized system, such as a ship ballast system or a municipal drinking water system, it may be necessary to employ hot tapping or similar procedures which involves attaching a branch connection and valve on the outside of an operating pipeline.
In the instance of measuring Total Residual Oxidant (TRO) in ship ballast water as part of a ballast water treatment system to avoid potentially damaging discharges into the environment of a seaport and/or control the ballast water treatment system dosing, certain challenges are presented depending on the ship type and construction of the ballast system. It may be impossible or impractical to drain the ballast pipe or isolate a section of line to remove a probe for maintenance or replacement. Additionally, the ballast pipes in ships are located in areas with limited spaces for access around the pipes. A further complicating factor is that marine environments generally present higher vibrations than many other industrial environments.
While adaptor devices that can insert a probe into a pressurized pipe are known, see, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 7,121,158, two main problems are presented. The length of the adaptor used in such a device often requires too much space around the pipe to use the device. The longer lengths of typical assemblies are necessary however because the probe and whatever mechanism is used to drive it must be pulled completely straight back through the pipe valve while it is still sealed to the outside, allowing the valve to be closed prior to removing the probe from the assembly. Thus the service length (as used herein, the space needed to remove the probe) is equal to at least the length of the valve and adapter assembly and twice the insertion length of the probe. Customers are also unlikely to accept long fittings that project from the pipe for fear of vibration damage to the device or pipe. User safety is another issue impacting the design of such devices with respect to probe insertion or removal from a pressurized pipe. Thus, there is a need for a more optimal service length device for constricted or limited space probe applications.